Manifolding device



Nov. 19, 1929. A. A. JOHNSON 1 MANIFOLDING? DEVICE Filed March 24. 1922I N VEN TOR.

Patented Nov. 19, 1929 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ARTHUR A. JOHNSON, OFNEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO UNDERWOOD ELLIOTT FISHER COMPANY, OF NEWYORK, N. Y.,

A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE MANIFOLDING DEVICE Application filed March 24,1922. Serial No. 546,391.

This invention relates to manifolding equipment and more particularly tothe provision of means for holding and controlling the carbon or othermanifolding material with 5 relation to multiple-ply webs or worksheetsof indefinite length.

One of the more important features of this invention is the provision ofa carbon sheet holder for use with fan-folded webs, which holder issimple in construction, and therefore can be produced at small cost. Itis also capable of being made light in weight so that the carbon unitcan be mounted upon the web, that is, so that it can be supporteddirectly by or ride upon the worksheet or web, and simple in operationso that it can be used without study or practice by persons of ordinaryability.

. In addition to the above advantages, the.-

carbon sheet holder of this invention is advantageous in that theholderwith its carbon leaves forms a unit that can be used with any.style or type of writing machine or device,

including typewriters, recorders, manifolding registers, writing tabletsetc., and furthermore requires no physical or structural connection tothe machine as will hereinafter be mbre particularly pointed out.

T he carbon-sheet holder illustrated herein may be made of a sheet ofmaterial such as celluloid, fiber, or metal having side strips and armsprojecting from the side strips and free at their ends from the oppositeside strip.

The arms which are adapted to be placed be-- tween the leaves or foldsof a fan-fold web carry and hold the carbon sheets in position totransfer onto the under leaves the writing which is performed on theuppermost leaf.

When the writing of a portion of the webs, or a form'as it is called, iscompleted the' carbon sheet holder with its carbon-sheets is movedrelative to the web so as to bring the carbon sheets into position tocooperate with.

the next form. This movement withdraws the carbon sheets from the formreviously written so that this form may e severed from the continuousweb. The severing may be performed by a knife but-this is not essentialsince weakened divisionlines between the forms may facilitate'tearing.

ing forms and under some conditions this mode is preferable. It is,however, not essential since the position of the ends of the carbonsheets may easily be seen through the uppermost leaf of the pile whenthe paper is transpicuous, which is usually the case.

There is also herein disclosed a tablet which is adapted for manuscriptwork and with which the carbon unit or rider is combined.

Other features and advantages will hereinafter appear.

Inthe accompanying drawings: 1 Figure '1 is an inverted perspective vieshowing one embodiment of my carbon sheet holder apart from the carbonleaves.

Figure 2 is a sectional side view showing diagrammatically how thecarbon sheets or leavesxma'y be attached to their holder arms andinterposed between the plies of the fanfold web, and showing the holderand carbon leaves forming the unit inountedon or supported by theworksheet.

Fig. 3 is a perspectiveview of the writing tablet feature of thisinvention combined with the carbon sheet holder and 'carbon sheets orleaves shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a detail View showing a writing platen with means thereof forcontrolling the position of the carbon sheet holder."

The carbon sheet holder is illustrated herein in the form of a fiatplate or sheet 10, which may be made of celluloid, fiber, metal, or evencardboard, so as tobe light in weight. By stamping on other suitableoperation, parts ofthe sheet 10 are cutfout to provide separate arms 11'ea'chvproje'cting from. one of the sides 12 of: the sheet andlhavingfree ends 13 spaced. from the opposite side 12. Preferably, alternatefarms 111 extend from opposite sides 12 and the number of v armsprovided depends on the number ofcarbon sheets needed The arms'alternate,withslots to accommodate the jpliestof web. 1 f

At the ends of the plate, strips 14 are left ten form may be severedfrom the one to be to connect the sides 12 to each other. written upon.The invention is not limited The arms 11 are adapted to be attached tofan-fold webs. to and hold carbon sheets 15 and with the carbon sheetsthey are placed between the 11 by any suitable means such as paperfasleaves, or in other words in folds of the fanteners, etc, However, itis at present prefold web as shown in Fig. 2. In this posiferred toprovide a slot 19 in each of the arms tion the carbon sheets are adaptedto trans- 11 through each of which the end of a carfer upon the face ofthe under leaves any bon sheet is passed after it has been wrappedWriting or typewriting that may be done on the upper leaf A. sheets arethus clamped under the body of Each side fold of the web passes aroundthe carbon sheet. the end 13 of one of the arms 11 between the As shownin Fig. 3 the tablet 20 may comend 13 and the wall 16 of th pertof heprise aboard or other suitable base across side 12 adjacent the end 13.By this means which the continuous strip is passed. The the web isguided and maintained in proper forward end of the tabletis providedwith a position relative to the holder and the carknife 21 under whichthe end of the web is bon sheets carried thereby. The plies of thelocated. The carbon sheet holder is supportweb pass individually throughthe series of ed upon the tablet, as shown, but it may be slots, whichalternate with the arms 11, as supported directly by the web, ifdesired. seen at Figure 2. To further guide the web, As shown in Fig. 3the tablet is gouged out the rear end strip 14 is provided With a slotat 22 to enable the sides 12 to be easily grasped 17 through which theentire web passes. This when it is desired to shift the carbons. Dislot17 guides the layers or folded leaves of rectly in front of the gougedportion there is the Web so that they pass between the arms providedapair of stationary pins 23 for hold- 11 in proper alinement. This slotalso serves ing or detaining the carbon holder adjacent the function ofpreventing accidental movethe gouged portions, while the web is beingment of the carbon sheet holder relative to drawn thr ugh the carbonunit. The pins he W by Producing a t r abrupt bend are placed one ateach side of the web, to enin the web at this point. However, it is notgag the oppositely projecting ends of the in all cases essential thatthe slot 17 be procarbon unit or web rider, The web is drawn vided forthe purposes of preventing accidenbetween the pins or stops. talmovement of the holder and of supporting In operation, the carbon sheetswith their the holder on the web, because these funearms are interleavedwith the fan-fold web, or tions are performed by the arms 11. When inother Words the carbon unit is mounted the latter are made sufficientlyresilient they upon the web, and then the carbon-unit or engage oppositesides of the layers or folde rider is moved rearwardly upon the webuntil leaves of theweb and yieldingly prevent the end of the shortestcarbon sheet is in line movement of the holder along the web and withthe bottom of the first form. The pile is support the holder on the web.It should be then placed under the knife 21 so that the noted that dueto the flexibility of the carbottom of the first form is alined with thebon sheet holder the parts, in practice, will knife. The surplus lengthsof the carbon not appear exactly as shown in F ig'. 2 in sheets are thencut off. After the form is which, for the sake of simplicity, the holderis written upon, the operator grasps the multishown as though it wererigid. As a matter ple ply web and moves it forwardly from unof fact thearms 11 bend to accommodate d'er the knife so that the end can begrasped. themselves to the passage of the webs through With one handholding one of its sides and the slots in a substantially straight linewith the other hand holding the Web at the through the holder except tothe rear of the front, the operator moves the carbon rider carbon armswhere the Webs pass through rearwardly along the web until it isobserved the slot 17 when the holder is being moved. that the ends ofthe carbon sheets are in line At the front the top sheet A of the web,with the bottom of the next form. The prepasses through the space orslot between the viously written form, which has been freed forward arm11 and the end strip 14 and of the carbon sheets, is then severed alongthe below the same. This arrangement of the knife 21, or, if a knife isnot provided, then front end strip 14 across the face of the web simplyby tearing the web along a perforated acts to prevent the operator fromwriting line on the portions of the web in which the car- If the pins 23are provided, as is the case in bon sheet hold er is located. Theleading the form shown in Fig. 3, then it is simply necedge 18 of thestrip 14 also acts as an index, es'sary for the operator to pull the webforto which the top of the form is brought when wardly when shifting thecarbon sheets, the

' the carbon holder is retracted, and when this carbon unit or riderbeing then held in posiis done the ends of the carbon sheets are tionagainst moving with the web by the alined with bottom of the form whichis to pins 23 engaging the forward edge 18 of the be written upon, sothat the previously w'ritcarbon holder or unit.

The carbon sheets may be held to the arms around the arm 11. The ends ofthe carbon could not be used and that it requires no special platen orother mechanism in its operation.

The carbon sheet holder being light in weight is readily susceptible ofbeing supported by a free stretch of web and by its own action is heldto the web in any position in which it may be placed. 7

It will be seen that the flexible carbon sheet unit, with its series ofslots through which the plies of web are individually threaded, forms aweb rider which may be slipped along the web, or which may be heldstationary while the-web is drawn therethrough.

Generally speaking, there is provided a band or wristlet through whichthe workstrip or web runs, and which also rides upon the workstrip, andadvances therewith,.when the latter is advanced line by line during thewriting of a page. This is in the nature of a unit, said unit includingcarbons which interleave with the workstrips or web-plies. The carbonsare connected to one another, so that all may move as .a unit. Theconnection obviously cannot go right through the workstrips, but ispositioned beyond the borders of the workstrips. In this instance theconnection at each side of the webs consists of the side member 12. Tothese side connections all of the carbons are joined by means of arms 11(since the carbons are attached to said arms, and since the arms areintegral with the side members 12). The members 12 are joined to eachother by the integral crossbars or end strips 14. It will be seen thatthrough the connections 12, 12. 11, 11, 11, and the cross-bars 14, allof the carbons are joined to one another, making a unit which can slipalong the workstrips. The carbons may be separated sufficiently topermit the workstrips-to be introduced or threaded between the carbonswhile the latter remain connected to one another. The unit girdles theworkstrips.

Variation and modifications may be resorted to within the scope of myinvention and portions of the improvements may be used without others.

I claim as my invention:

1. A carbon sheet holder comprising a plate having two sides andintegral arms extending from each side toward the other, and free of theopposite side.

2. For use with a strip of web of indefinite length having a pluralityof layers and a plurality of carbon sheets to be located between thelayers of the web; a holder from which the carbon sheets trail, saidholder extending transversely of theweb and having means engaging theweb for supporting the holder on the web and said holder being movablealong the Web to bring the carbon sheets to a new position after thepart of the web covered by the carbon sheets has been written upon.

3. For use with a strip of web of indefinite length having aplurality'of layers and a plurality of carbon sheets to be locatedbetween the layers of the web; a holder from which the ends of thecarbon sheets trail, said holder being supportable on and movable alongthe web to bring the carbon sheets to a new position after the part ofthe web covered by the carbon sheets has been written upon, said holderhaving means for holding the layers of the Web together and for causingthe layers to move into alinement during the movement of the holderalong the web.

4. A carbon sheet holder movable along a pile of webs of indefinitelength and having means for holding carbon sheets between the webs ofthe pile and independently supporting the holder on the pile of webs.

5. A carbon sheet holder movable along a pile of webs of indefinitelength and having a plurality of sets of arms, the arms of one set beingsecured to and projecting from one side thereof and the arms of theother set being secured to and projecting from the other side thereof,said arms holding carbon sheets between the webs of the pile and holdingthe holder to the pile of webs,

6. A carbon sheet holder movable along a pile of Webs ofindefinitelength and having means for holding carbon sheets between the webs ofthe pile and also having means for causing the webs on passing throughthe holder to follow atortuous course whereby the holder and webs areheld together frictionally against unintentional relative movements.

7. A carbon sheet holder movable along a pile of webs of indefinitelength, comprising a strip; an arm secured at one end to the strip andfree at its other end; a second strip; an arm secured at one end to thesecond strip; and means for connecting the strlps together with the freeend of one of the arms adjacent the strip to which the other arm issecured, said arms holding carbon sheets between the webs of the pileand supporting the holder upon the pile of webs by respectively p1le owebs.

8. A device adapted to be moved from position to position along afan-fold web comprising a plurality of sets of oppositely extending armsadapted to extend between the folds of the web, the sets extending intothe folds from opposite sides and each arm of each set receiving the endof a carbon sheet and holding said sheet in a fold of the web;

v and guide surfaces on the holder in position to engage the web alongthe lines of fold and thereby guide the movement of the holder along theWeb.

9. A carbon sheet holder movable along a pile of webs of indefinitelength, having means for holding carbon sheets between the webs of thepile, said holder being sufficiently light weight to be supported by afree stretch of the pile of Webs which act as a track in guiding themovement of the holder therealong.

10. A carbon-carrier for enabling a typewriting machine to manifold amultiple-ply work-web, comprising a sheet of flexible material havmg aseries of transverse slits therein to form carbon blades therebetween,each of said slits arranged to have a single ply of a plurality ofsuperposed plies of workweb threaded therethrough, and broughtforwardly, soas to overlie a carbon, the composite packto be enteredbeneath the platen from the rear of the machine and fed upwardlythereover durin typing.

11. A web riding carbon-carrier comprising an elongated sheet offlexible material having a series of transverse openings adjacent itsmid-section and carbon-sheets attached to portions of said sheetsbetween said openin s, the plies of a multiple-ply web being threadedthrough said openings, the web and carrier being relatively shiftable tostrip the carbons.

12. For use in a typ'ewriting machine having a platen, a flexiblecarbon-stripper having a series of transverse slits through whichwork-webs are threaded, the stripper being carried by the work-webs, andcarbons attached to said stripper and interleaved between the work-webs,the stripper and the webs being relatively shiftable to strip thecarbons to shift them to new positions along the work-Webs.

13. For use in a typewriting machine having a platen, a flexiblecarbon-stripper having a series of transverse slits through whichwork-Webs are threaded, the stripper being carried by the work-Webs, andcarbons attached to said stripper and interleaved between the Work-webs,the stripper and the webs being relatively shiftable to strip thecarbons to shift them tonew positions along the work-webs, the leadingend of the stripper extending sufiiciently in advance of the slits toform a backing for the carbons, said carbons extending from said slitstoward said leading end.

14:. A carbon-carrier comprising a sheet of flexible material having aplurality of transverse openings therein, and between which carbons arefixed and interleaved with workplies led through said openings, andmeans for positively holding said carrier so as to maintain said carbonsin position, during shifting operations between the latter and thework-plies.

15. A carbon-carrying girdle to ride upon a set of workstrips in awriting and manifoldmg implement, with the workstrips extending throughand the carbons trailing from the girdle, so that the carbons andworkstrips may be relatively shiftable, said riding girdle being widerthan the workstrips, and hav ng means positioned beyond the oppositeside edges of the enclosed workstrips, and confining the latter, forconnecting one carbon to another in a manner to admit of endwiseinsertion or threading of the workstrips be tween the connected carbons,and said girdle including a stripper member, for engagement with astopupon the writing implement, to restrain the girdle and carbons againstmovement while the workstrips are advanced therethrough.

16. The combination with a. stationary member, of a carbon-carrier inthe form of a web-rider extending across the web and having a pluralityof transverse openings and transverse members adjacent thereto, fromwhich carbon-sheets may trail, said carrier arranged to have the pliesof a plurality of continuous work-sheets threaded through said openingsand interleaved with said carbonsheets, said carbon-carrier movable totrail said carbon-sheets in the direction of the length of the web, andincluding means to cooperate with said stationary member at thestripping operation, to restrain said carrler from movement While saidwork-sheets are being drawn through said openings to bring the last-usedportion thereof beyond the carhon-sheets.

17. A carbon-carrying girdle formed to ride upon a set of workstrips ina writing and manifolding implement, with the workstrips extendingthrough and the carbons trailing from the girdle, so that the carbonsand workstrips may be relatively shiftable, said riding girdle beingwider than the workstrips, and having means positioned beyond theopposite side edges of the enclosed workstrips, and confining thelatter, for connecting one carbon to another in a manner to admit ofendwise insertion or threading of the workstrips between the connectedcarbons.

18. A Web-rider formed to engirdle the web and supportable by the Web,said rider having means for holding together a plurality ofcarbon-sheets interposed with Work-strips forming the web, for movementof said webrider and carbon-sheets together with the work-strips, andalso for independent movement of the web-rider and carbon-sheetsrelative to the work-strips, a support for the work-strips for writingpurposes, and means on the writing support operative to restain ingmovement when the work-strips are independently moved to place afreshportion of the work-strips over the carbon-sheets, said restrainingmeans permitting retrograde the rider and carbon-sheets against advanc-I movement of the work-strips, rider and carbons together.

19. A web-rider from which may trail a set of carbon-leaves interleavedwith plies of a multiple-ply web of indefinite length, with thecarbon-leaves trailing from a portion forming a part of said rider, saidpart provided with a series of slots through which the web-pliesfareindividually threaded, said rider formed for mounting upon the web to besupportable thereby, said rider movable along and engirdling the web tobe guided thereby. 20. A'web-rider from which may trail a set ofcarbon-leaves interleaved with plies of a multiple-ply web of indefinitelength, with the carbon-leaves trailing from a portion forming a part ofsaid rider, said part provided with a series of slots through which theweb-plies are individually threaded, said rider formed for'mounting uponthe web to be supportable thereby, said rider movable along andengirdling the web tobe guided thereby,

and stationary means to restrain the rider against movement upon the webwhile the web is being drawn through the rider.

21. A web-rider from which may trail a set of carbon-leaves interleavedwith plies of a multiple-ply web of indefinite length, with thecarbon-leaves trailing from a portion forming a part of said rider, saidpart provided with a series of slots through which the web-plies areindividually threaded, said rider formed for mounting upon the web to besupportable thereby, said rider movable along and engirdling the web tobe guided thereby, and stationary means to restrain the rider againstmovement upon the web while the web is being drawn through the rider,the rider formed to project from opposite side edges of the web, andsaid restraining means including stops engaging the opposite projectingportions of the rider, the web being drawn between said stops.

22. For use in a typewriting machine having a platen, a flexiblecarbon-stripper having a plurality of transverse openings through whichwork-webs are threaded, the stripper being carried by the work-webs andadapted to trail carbons which are interleaved between the work-webs,the stripper and the webs being relatively shiftable to strip thecarbons to new positions along the work-webs.

23. For use in a typewriting machine having a platen, a flexiblecarbon-stripper having a plurality of transverse openings through whichwork-webs are threaded, the stripper being carried by the workwebs andadapted to trail carbons which are interleaved between the work-webs,the stripper and the webs being relatively shiftable to strip thecarbons to new positions along the work-webs, the leading end of thestripper extending sufficiently in advance of the openings to form abacking for the carbons, the carbons extendend.

24. As a new article of manufacture, a set of superposed carbon-sheetstrailing from a light web-girdle and forming a unit-therewith for bothriding upon a work-web and for relative movement between the unit andthe web, for stripping the carbons, said unit including portions whichproject beyond the web and whereby the unit may be controlled during thecarbon-stripping operation.

ARTHUR A. JOHNSON.

ing from said openings toward said leading

